Prague is dealing with the outflow of Russian tourists. They spent millions in the metropolis
“They knew how to be uncomfortable or even domineering, they had high demands, but on the other hand they managed to sit down for a family dinner and then leave 30,000 in seven and eight people for a solid tip,” said Aleš, operating one from the pubs in the Old Town.
From the point of view of the figure and the tip, according to the experience of the employees from the hospitality gate, the Russians used to be more generous than, for example, more careful visits from Japan or South Korea. The Russian tourist spent an average of two thousand crowns a day in the Czech capital, leaving about seven thousand crowns in the store for purchases.
Home compensation
This is a thing of the past after the invasion of Ukraine and the announcement of economic sanctions against Russia.
“It was in January and February that the Russians came to Prague and the Czech Republic the most. Domestic tourism cannot replace this outage, it obviously has great potential, “said Václav Stárek, President of the Association and Hotels and Restaurants of the Czech Republic.
Experts therefore decide how to deal with the situation.
“Given the history in Ukraine, it is clear that tourists from Russia will not come to Prague. We are currently preparing two marketing campaigns for the summer, one of which will focus on domestic inbound tourism and the other on foreign, especially from Europe, “said František Cipro, Chairman of the Board of Prague City Tourism (PCT).
The company will focus its campaigns mainly on the 30+ age group, which is expected to spend more and stay longer in the metropolis.
The charity campaign “In Prague as at home” will not be repeated, but PCT still intends to focus massively on supporting domestic tourism.
Together with Prague Airport, the PCT also intended to support the promotion of the influx of tourists from across the ocean, from the USA. “But everything that is happening now is not good. Therefore, foreign tourists from the European Union and also from Israel will be primarily important for us in the coming months, ”explained Klára Malá, a spokeswoman for the PCT.
At present, tourism is not only very interested in the war, but also in the burdensome effects of the energy crisis, which is pushing up, for example, ticket prices.
Experts are proposing other ways to balance the failure of not only Russians, but also visitors to Prague from other countries.
“Given the end of the covid pandemic, we are calling for the borders to be fully opened. Now it is necessary to remove all foreign visitors to the barrier to arrival, especially from the states of the European Union, “said Václav Stárek.
Disappearing Russians
According to current data, just over 25,000 Russians came to us last year. In the table of visitors to Prague, therefore, in comparison with 2019, ie before the onset of epidemic restrictions, Russia fell deeply.
“Two years ago, the fifth Russia is currently in the top ten countries in Prague,” said Martina Kuřitková from the Information Services Department of the Prague Regional Administration of the Czech Statistical Office (CSO). In the third quarter of 2021, ie during the main tourist season, over one million tourists stayed in Prague hotels and boarding houses.
Source: CZSO, CzechTourism, GlobalBlue
In addition to the Russians, according to the CZSO, the number of Chinese and British also decreased significantly at that time. On the contrary, the capital was dominated by Germans, Slovaks and Poles. Approximately 40 percent of tourists from other regions of the Czech Republic came to the metropolis in the mentioned period, which meant a significant increase.
The table of stays in Prague for the past decade looks different. Most Russians stayed in the capital in 2012 – 492 thousand. They thus ranked second behind the Germans in the ranking of visitors to the town above the Vltava.
“Their number began to decline in the period before the covid, for example due to economic problems, such as the decline in the ruble,” said Starek.
In 2019, before the outbreak of the pandemic, 393 thousand Russians slept in Prague hotels. This means a fifth less than in 2012. In the table of visitors to Prague, they fell in 2019 to fifth place. However, they led in the average length of stay, in Prague the Russians lasted 3.5 days.
Prague has also traditionally been a popular shopping location for Russians. The richest also used the services of luxury shops in the historic city center, in Pařížská Street and its surroundings.
“The composition of shopping for Russian tourists has not changed significantly. They bought the most fashion – 66 percent and jewelry – 12 percent, “said Zuzana Roubíčková, a spokeswoman for Global Blue, which mediates VAT refunds for tourists from outside the EU.